Im really interested in getting a genki book after hearing so many good reviews about it. even from my japanese teacher or sensei at school. but i have no clue on which book to even start with. there are so many ..right now im learning katakana. i already know my hiragana. does anyone know what genki book i should start with since im a first timer? and where can i purchase the book any trustworthy online sellers?

Just make sure that you buy the second edition of the first book, not the old one and you're good to go.Too many people irresponsibly give opinions about a book they've never used, assuming it's the same as the first edition.

Depends on your financial situation. When I bought the books they were very cheap, so I got the workbook as well to ensure that I mastered all the material. You can check all your answers if it has an audio symbol next to the question through the free CD it comes with, but if you want to check absolutely everything I suppose you might need to buy the answer book. I personally didn't need that book, and if there's ever any answer you're unsure of you could always just post on here and we can help you.

Genki 1 covers half of what's roughly considered "beginner" japanese. 145 kanji in book 1. The first two chapters are in romaji because they don't assume you've mastered kana until chapter 3. Genki's strongest point imo is the grammar it covers. Genki's weakest point imo is the vocabularly it covers, there is a little too few words covered imo.

Genki is a bit of an expensive series, especially since it is split into two editions, and then the answer key is also sold separately, so for those you're looking at about $130, then there are the optional workbooks as well.

The good news is that now the audio cds are included with the book, which used to sell separately as well.

Used, I've only really seen on amazon ( which right now goes for just over 30 dollars for genki 1 for the cheapest copy ) but you want to ensure that it's the second edition that has the audio as well, or at a college/university used book store, at a university that uses genki, which may or may not be close to you.

Otherwise it's just a matter of finding private sellers online, which can be offered on different language learning communities, reddit etc.

If you are not overly tied to Genki, there are other options available.

Personally I like Japanese for everyone, since it takes you to about the same level as the Genki series, but it's only one book, has the answer key in the back, and sells for about $21 on amazon atm. ( Just make sure you get the newer revised version )

Only problem is that there used to be audio available on cassettes, but they do not sell them either, but there are ways to find the audio around still, and there are scripts in the back as well.

Sorry I couldn't be more help, maybe someone else can chime in with another way to find Genki used for cheaper :p